6 Tips to Help You Fit Fitness into Your Busy 9-5 Schedule

Working full-time doesn’t mean you’re just working for an extended period of time at your workplace. It means you’re giving up a large portion of your time to get things done for other people. This is a major drain on how much energy you have throughout the day.

Spending all your time at work and then coming home to just a few hours at night limits what you’re able to do with your free time. There’s dinner to make, laundry to get done and, if you have a family, you probably have kids that need help with their homework and getting ready for bed. Before you know it, you’re falling asleep and mentally preparing yourself to do it all again the next day.

A full-time work schedule makes it seem impossible to do certain things. One of the things people struggle to fit in is an exercise routine. Getting to the gym adds time in traffic on your way home and workouts can sometimes be as long as an hour or more at a time. If you’re wondering how you can make a fitness routine work in your already busy schedule, check out some easy ideas you can try. Sometimes, to make something work, you just have to get a little creative.

Change up Your Commute

Not all people live close to their jobs, but if you do, it might be time to leave your car at home. Investing in a good bike or a new pair of sneakers could be all you need to change your life. Walking or biking to work and back every day will tone your muscles and shed pounds fast! Consider the distance between your work and your home to see if this kind of commute is right for you.

The key to this kind of workout is to always pay attention to road conditions and the weather. It’s important that nearby cars have good visibility of the sidewalk so you’re seen by drivers. You should also take care not to walk to work if the temperature’s going to plunge or it’s going to rain. Your health and safety must always come before your fitness routine no matter how dedicated you are to it.

Build up Your Biceps

You may feel too awkward to bring weights to work to keep at your desk, but that doesn’t mean you can’t focus on your biceps while you’re at work. There are some great muscle-building exercises you can do at your desk without attracting odd stares from your coworkers. Use your desk for resistance when doing hammer curls with your fists. It’s just one easy way to slide in a workout without changing up your schedule.

Use the Stairs

So you’re too far away from your job to do anything other than take the bus or drive to work. That’s okay! You can still get a workout in by using the stairs instead of the elevator. Choosing to do this little trick instead of filing into the elevator with everyone else is just one of the many quick exercises you can do at work. You can also plan to use the bathroom on a different floor so that whenever you get up for a quick restroom break, you can use the stairs to burn more calories.

Work out During Lunch

You probably get a half-hour or an hour for your lunch break, which means you don’t have to be chained to your desk for a little bit. Use your lunch break to your advantage! Eat mini healthy snacks throughout the day so you don’t have to wait for one big meal at lunch. Then, during your normal lunch time, go for a jog or to a nearby gym. You might enjoy the occasional snacks for the energy they’ll bring and you’ll love multitasking with the time you have for lunch.

Practice Stall Squats

There isn’t a lot of privacy in the work place, even if you have your own cubicle. If you started doing crunches or push-ups by your desk, you might feel too embarrassed to actually push yourself in your reps or do it at all. A good place to go to do some quick workout moves is the bathroom. Lock yourself in an empty stall and try fitting in some squats before you use your break. It won’t be too noticeable to anyone else already in the bathroom and you can relax knowing you won’t be stared at.

Be Social and Active

Maybe none of these sound like the right kind of exercising for you. You might be the kind of person who wants to work out but would do better with a partner or group setting so you’d feel more inclined to hit the gym. Talk with some of your friends or even coworkers and agree to meet up once a week, which you might already do! Now, instead of going to the movies, go to a group exercise class together.

There are lots of classes offered by gyms for members who don’t want to be limited to running on the treadmill for their workouts. Look around your area to see what’s offered and then get everyone to suggest what they’d like to do. The goal is to find a class that everyone will enjoy, but make sure you all know some group fitness class tips for beginners. You’ll be surprised how much fun trying something new can be if you’re with friends!

Squeezing a workout into your 9-5 schedule doesn’t have to be as impossible as it can feel. The key is to analyze how you use your time currently and then see if you can use any of it to multitask. Turn your commute into a workout or fit in mini fitness sessions at your work. You can also get involved in a fun exercise class with your friends to make working out less of a chore.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t try it once and then give up. Your new routine may feel strange at first and exercising will push your body to its limits, so it may take time to get used to it. Try out whatever you think is best at least a couple times, and then if you don’t like it, switch it up. There’s no limit to how you can fit a workout into your day, even if you think you’re too busy.

Meet Elizabeth

Liz Barnett is a lifestyle blogger at #WomanlyWoman. Sometimes humorous, her blog is about entertainment, travel, health, relationships, beauty, fashion, and shopping. Liz has been sharing her personal life on the internet since before social media or search engines existed. She spends her free time adding unnecessary things to her wedding registry and occasionally contributing to The Huffington Post. She has degrees from Wittenberg University and Ohio University - Athens. She is a cancer survivor and mental health stigma fighter. She currently resides in the Appalachian region of Southern Ohio, east of Cincinnati.

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